Our Moving Deets

Moving is stressful. If you’ve moved recently, you know what I’m talking about. The Will we ever be done?? feeling as you skillfully tape down the millionth box with the tape gun that’s now just an extension of your arm. And then when you’re finished packing, the All my worldly possessions are packed in these cardboard things! panicky feeling kicks in as the exhaustion finally smacks you across the face. If you haven’t moved recently, you’re likely thinking, It wasn’t that bad. What a drama queen. But it was. You’ve simply forgotten. And I will laugh the next time you have to move.

Moving with a Baby

Moving with a baby is different than moving as a couple. Much, much different. Hardly anything gets done when the baby’s awake. And so Johnny and I were up until three or four each morning last week packing our butts off. And Baby Girl was up at 6:00 on the dot each morning, except the morning when she got up at 5:45 instead. Those mornings are a sleep-deprived blur that we’re glad have come and gone.

How We’re Getting from NC to UT

The actual moving across the country is a tad more complicated, too. For our last few moves, Johnny’s future employers have given us a lump sum moving package to do with as we please. And so we’ve always moved ourselves and pocketed the extra money. This time around the moving package is itemized, and so we hired a moving company to drive our stuff. It actually worked perfectly because we otherwise would have had Johnny drive a moving truck with our cat while I drove the car with the baby. I shudder to think of that scenario. It would have been three days straight of Johnny listening to meowing in the truck while I sung “The Wheels on the Bus” until I grew hoarse in the car. We still packed everything ourselves and tried to find the best moving deal possible. But it’s pretty darn awesome not having to drive a 16-footer across the country on our own.

The Trip So Far

I’ve arrived safe and sound in Utah. The flight went about as well as it could have. Just between you and me, we got some Xanax from the vet for Persie — she’s very high stress, even for a cat. But not when she’s on Xanax! And I took an evening flight so Baby Girl would sleep most of the time. And here’s an embarrassing fact: I have to take motion sickness pills before every flight because I’m one of those fun-killing people who gets motion sick if I even smell a plane/car/roller coaster. And so despite being a tad groggy from those meds, it was pretty nice to just sit for a few hours since I hadn’t done a lot of that in the past week, even if my two carry-on’s were live animals.

my two carry ons

during our layover!

Johnny is still on the road. He’s been staying in inexpensive (though not shady — I insisted) hotels he found through Priceline. Our car gets great gas mileage, so that’s a plus also. And he’s eating off the dollar menu for a few days. When it comes to moving, we’re both willing to forego yummy food for a few days as long as we know it’s temporary — and as long as I have a spare pack of peanut butter M&Ms in the diaper bag.

To save money before our move, we tried our best to empty our cupboards, fridge, and freezer, which meant a few fairly bland meals most nights last week. And then on our last night we splurged (well, if you call $14 a splurge, which we do) at our favorite barbecue place as a final send off to North Carolina.

Our New Place

We were surprised to find that the real estate was a tad more expensive in Utah than in North Carolina. We decided on a new-ish three-bedroom condo where we’ll be able to continue saving a good bit each month for an eventual house. And it’s within walking distance to Johnny’s work (like five minutes door to door), so we’ll continue with the one car + scooter situation for now. We can’t wait to have two full incomes and our normal monthly budgeted expenses again!

Even still, moving is a beast, which should be avoided at all costs (pun intended)! It’s a money-gobbling monster that devours what it can right out of your bank account. We’re putting all of our expenditures (including and especially the ones for which we’ll be reimbursed) on our airlines reward credit card. So that’s one perk to all the spending: free future flights! Once Johnny’s back with Baby Girl and me, the hard part will be over, and we can sit back until the moving truck arrives!

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21 Comments

Glad you and baby (and cat) made it safe and sane. : ) Just curious- how long do you have to wait on the moving company to deliver your things? I’ve never done that before but may need to in the next few years, and just wondered if it was several days or more like a week or longer.

Good question! It was our first time, too. They gave us a 5-day window when they would be delivering our stuff, and it was within a week of when they picked it up. Even still, I get impatient waiting even a few days for it to arrive!

Too late now, but would Johnny’s company have paid for car transport? Since you are so close to his new office, not having a car for a few days might not have been the end of the world? I’m thinking something like autodriveaway.com. I’ve always wanted to use it the other way, get a car to do a cross country trip in… Right now looks like there’s a 350Z in long beach ca that needs to go to Miami beach. =). That’d probably be a fun car to drive that trip in!

I think they would have, but we wanted our car out here sooner rather than later. We’ve got some errands to run before the movers arrive with our stuff! And Johnny was up for the drive; he’s great like that.

Glad to hear the plane ride went well! I can’t imagine flying with my two cats, that would be crazy. As it is, we are likely to be moving 10+ hours away within a year and they’ll have to take the car ride with us.

I hope your things get there soon! I know I’d have a bit of anxiety waiting for the truck to arrive, as well as Johnny. The condo sounds nice!

that’s a feat, successfully taking your baby and a cat on a plane! smart move bringing the valium–my friend told me of a terrible flight experience where she took a cat but no pet medicine and the cat vomited on the flight during take off, making the plane reek the entire time.

also, that’s so cool that you all have a scooter! I had a scooter in college and I miss having my little 49cc Yamaha.

Super lucky to get them to pay for the movers! I moved cross country twice (once from NC to Idaho, once from Idaho to PA) and we had to drive the truck and tow the car the entire way. It’s amazing how many detours you run into when you’re driving across the entire. country. Glad you and baby have arrived safe and sound!

Thanks! We’re glad it’s all over. And I was very happy Johnny was just driving our car this time rather than a truck with all of our stuff. But if it means saving a few bucks in the future, we very well may move our stuff on our own again at some point!

Sounds like everything is going pretty well. I’ve never used movers and probably will never use them as long as I’m childless. But once your brood gets to be of age you can just have them move everything for you while you sit back and “supervise”. What, your parents didn’t do that? My mom used to tell me that’s the only reason she had children.

Thanks, Michelle! I honestly don’t know how I got through it. At times it was just too much to carry, and luckily a few kind strangers swooped in and helped me in those moments. It went as well as it could have, but I am so glad it’s over!!

Both flights there were a few other babies on board, and luckily I’ve learned to just head to the very back of the plane! That’s the best way to disturb the least number of people as possible, and usually other parents with babies are back there, too!

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